Synopses & Reviews
Archaeology of Louisiana
provides a groundbreaking and up-to-date overview of archaeology in the
Bayou State, including a thorough analysis of the cultures,
communities, and people of Louisiana from the Native Americans of 13,000
years ago to the modern historical archaeology of New Orleans. With
eighteen chapters and twenty-seven distinguished contributors, Archaeology of Louisiana
brings together the studies of some of the most respected
archaeologists currently working in the state, collecting in a single
volume a range of methods and theories to offer a comprehensive
understanding of the latest archaeological findings.
In the past two decades alone, much new data has transformed our
knowledge of Louisiana's history. This collection, accordingly, presents
fresh perspectives based on current information, such as the discovery
that Native Americans in Louisiana constructed some of the
earliest-known monumental architecture in the world — extensive earthen
mounds — during the Middle Archaic period (6000-2000 B.C.) Other
contributors consider a variety of subjects, such as the development of
complex societies without agriculture, underwater archaeology, the
partnering of archaeologists with the Caddo Nation and descendant
communities, and recent research in historical archaeology and cultural
resource management that promises to transform our current appreciation
of colonial Spanish, French, Creole, and African American experiences in
the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Accessible and engaging,
Archaeology of Louisiana provides a complete and current archaeological reference to the state's unique heritage and history.
About the Author
Mark A. Rees is an
archaeologist and associate professor of anthropology at the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has more than twenty years of experience
in the archaeology of the eastern United States and recently completed
research at Native American mound sites in Louisiana dating from A.D.
700 to 1800.